Many women believe they need more qualifications, more experience or more confidence before they’re ready to run a business. Yet one of the most valuable leadership qualifications is not earned in a classroom, it’s built through lived experience.
For many women, that experience is motherhood. Carla Davison, our founder, has spent more than 13 years supporting parents through pregnancy, baby and early years classes. During that time, she’s watched many women underestimate the skills they’ve gained through motherhood, only to discover that those same qualities can become some of their greatest strengths.
Here are four of the biggest leadership lessons Carla has learned over the years.
Motherhood teaches you to adapt constantly, solve problems under pressure and manage competing priorities every day. From navigating the unexpected to making countless decisions, these experiences build resilience in ways many women don’t always recognise.
When you’re considering a move into franchising, it’s important not to underestimate the value of those qualities. The ability to stay calm, adapt to change and keep moving forward isn’t simply useful in family life - these are leadership skills too.
Some of the strongest leaders are those who listen, communicate with empathy and build genuine relationships. Motherhood is one of the most powerful places for these qualities to develop.
They’re sometimes dismissed as soft skills, but they’re anything but. Whether you’re supporting parents, building relationships within your local community or growing your franchise, emotional intelligence is one of the most valuable strengths you can bring to a business.
One of the biggest barriers stopping women from starting a business is the belief that they need to feel completely ready first.
The reality is that very few entrepreneurs ever do. Confidence doesn’t appear overnight. It grows when you take the first step, try something new and begin putting the skills you already have into practice.
We have personal experience of how franchising can provide the structure, guidance and support that helps women build that confidence as they grow their business.
Every successful leader benefits from support. Whether it comes from mentors, peers, trusted networks or professional communities, having people around you to share experiences and offer reassurance can make all the difference.
It’s something we see throughout the Basking Babies network. The women who flourish in franchising are not necessarily those with the most experience when they begin. They’re the ones who embrace learning, lean on those around them and recognise that asking for support is a strength, not a weakness.
Too often, women overlook the leadership experience they’ve gained through motherhood because it doesn’t appear on a CV. Yet resilience, adaptability, empathy and relationship-building are qualities every successful franchisee relies on.
Perhaps it’s time we stopped thinking of motherhood as a pause in professional development and started recognising it as one of the most valuable leadership qualifications a woman can have.